The father of a missing 21-month-old girl said on Friday that his daughter broke her arm after he slipped and fell on top of her while carrying her in his arm.

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Justin DiPietro said he is coming forth with details of the accident to end speculation on how his daughter, Ayla Reynolds, broke her arm.

DiPietro reported the little girl missing from his mother's home at 29 Violette Ave. in Waterville, where he also lives, the morning of Dec. 17. She was last seen wearing green polka-dot pajamas and had a soft cast on her left arm. Investigators have said the child did not leave the house on her own and are treating her disappearance as a crime.

DiPietro told the Morning Sentinel he was carrying a bag of groceries in one arm and Ayla in the other in November when he slipped on a short set of stairs leading into the kitchen and fell on her. DiPietro said he took her to the hospital the next day when her arm began swelling.